NorDel Garage
Well-known member
Brian, I just stumbled on this build thread.
Great job! I will be following along.
Good luck. KenO.
Great job! I will be following along.
Good luck. KenO.
Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Modern House - Eastern Shore
- Thread starter Brian R
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
BoilermakerFan
Well-known member
Wow! The new siding looks fantastic!
Brian_WK
Well-known member
Sad face on losing the tall narrow corner windows. Im guessing it was not feasible to replace them with custom windows? The siding looks great and looks like the house is really taking shape! Now it looks modern abstract.
Brian
Brian
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Subscribed! 
steveo1o9
Well-known member
Hello from a bit further east, I live in Wicomico County. Just stumbled across this thread now, awesome house and work, going to look great when it's done.
Brian_WK - you got it, too much custom work torian replicate those and that's one item I wish I could have kept. I push on and hope the completed house and what we've done makes up for some of the corners we have had to cut.
Thanks for dropping by and the kind comments.
Brian R
BoilermakerFan
Well-known member
Thank you. The bikes were definitely a lucky trade and the best one I have ever done. There are so many great bikes out there tho' and so little time or space. Eventually I do want a Harley Sportster, an older BMW, a Triumph triple, and the latest Goldwing F6, but when I get it it will be a used bike. I doubt I'll ever have a Norton though. Yours is sweet!
The Mercs were a lucky score too. I bought one and had a buddy buy the other as part of a trade we had going. I can't wait to get them restored, even if they only churn water in a barrel and sit on display stands for a few years.
My garage is frustrating. It's so shallow. I'd trade 4' of width for 4' more depth. I hate it's location in my yard, it side loads and sits across the yard in the back corner from my driveway so I lose a LOT of back yard. I do gain some security the way it is though, but that is the only plus.
You could design such a cool garage to go with that house! When you do get to build it, make it as deep as you can for the square footage you are allowed to have and make it as tall as you can, even if you have no plans for a lift. I wish my garage had an 8/12 pitch roof instead of 3/12 or 4/12 that it is now. Even if you can't go two stories, incorporate the biggest, tallest storage loft you can.
If a neighbor's tree drops a big enough limb to require a new roof, I will spend the extra money to raise the roof and increase the pitch. If a limb implodes the garage as it did to the original carriage house in 1996 before we bought the house, then the garage will be moved and rebuilt... but I actually don't want that to happen because I would lose a lot of my bike parts if that happened. I just need a limb big enough to require a new roof on my neighbor's insurance.
Do you have any rough plans for the garage design or know your restrictions yet?
Boliermakerfan -
Years ago a very large tree fell on my Suburban. My friend owns an auto-body shop and he came over to access the damage. He asked if he I wanted to save it and I said yes. So when the adjuster showed to review it my friend had to persuade him a little to not total it. That’s what I wanted and it turned out fine except for several weeks later. We were at a party and someone showed up in a brand new Suburban I asked my friend if I could change my mind – such a fine line on insurance claims…..
I found a 5 hp Elgin outboard at a garage sale and bought it for 10 bucks. It does not look anywhere nears as cool as yours do but nonetheless it was a steal but I can’t seem to find the time to get it running. I don’t know what Indiana is like but out on the East Coast of MD there are tons of guys that collect and display outboards.
The shed of the cottage we just sold had a 1975 Honda CB500T in it. I was scrambling to pack up the place due to some last-minute problems and unfortunately I had to let that bike go for free to a neighbor that could move it out. Your cool list remind me that I should get back to replacing it with something else.
I’m mostly focused on the house but I do remember that the one constraint is that I’m limited to 600 sq ft. Or it might be that a different permit is required for anything bigger. Right now the press is on to finish the house but I keep thinking about where to place a garage and what it will look like. I’ve got a few pencil drawings done so I might post those and take a look at restrictions. One good thing is that we have enough land that I don’t think we will have any setback issues.
Again, thanks for following.
Brian
Years ago a very large tree fell on my Suburban. My friend owns an auto-body shop and he came over to access the damage. He asked if he I wanted to save it and I said yes. So when the adjuster showed to review it my friend had to persuade him a little to not total it. That’s what I wanted and it turned out fine except for several weeks later. We were at a party and someone showed up in a brand new Suburban I asked my friend if I could change my mind – such a fine line on insurance claims…..
I found a 5 hp Elgin outboard at a garage sale and bought it for 10 bucks. It does not look anywhere nears as cool as yours do but nonetheless it was a steal but I can’t seem to find the time to get it running. I don’t know what Indiana is like but out on the East Coast of MD there are tons of guys that collect and display outboards.
The shed of the cottage we just sold had a 1975 Honda CB500T in it. I was scrambling to pack up the place due to some last-minute problems and unfortunately I had to let that bike go for free to a neighbor that could move it out. Your cool list remind me that I should get back to replacing it with something else.
I’m mostly focused on the house but I do remember that the one constraint is that I’m limited to 600 sq ft. Or it might be that a different permit is required for anything bigger. Right now the press is on to finish the house but I keep thinking about where to place a garage and what it will look like. I’ve got a few pencil drawings done so I might post those and take a look at restrictions. One good thing is that we have enough land that I don’t think we will have any setback issues.
Again, thanks for following.
Brian
Minimizing Flood Damage
The first picture was taken in 2015 when we bought this place and I’ve highlighted the high-water mark left by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. This area was flooded by an 8-foot storm surge. We hope that this does not happen again but we’re preparing to minimize damage if we get hit by another storm.
The mechanical area is raised two feet above the ground floor. In addition we are also running all electric so that it is above the high water mark. In case we are flooded we are insulating with closed-cell foam and the wall covering on the bottom level will be marine grade plywood installed with stainless steel screws.
We’ve also installed 5 smart vents (see pictures below). They only open in one direction and as the flood waters recede they open to allow water out of the house. Most people don’t realize that the majority of damage to houses from flooding is that older houses often trap water in the building so when the water recedes they literally will burst from inside. This is one area where I had a disagreement with the county inspector. Based on our measurements we thought 4 flood vents were required and the inspectors said 9 were required. After some back and forth they said we were ok with 5 and that is the number we installed.
The first picture was taken in 2015 when we bought this place and I’ve highlighted the high-water mark left by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. This area was flooded by an 8-foot storm surge. We hope that this does not happen again but we’re preparing to minimize damage if we get hit by another storm.
The mechanical area is raised two feet above the ground floor. In addition we are also running all electric so that it is above the high water mark. In case we are flooded we are insulating with closed-cell foam and the wall covering on the bottom level will be marine grade plywood installed with stainless steel screws.
We’ve also installed 5 smart vents (see pictures below). They only open in one direction and as the flood waters recede they open to allow water out of the house. Most people don’t realize that the majority of damage to houses from flooding is that older houses often trap water in the building so when the water recedes they literally will burst from inside. This is one area where I had a disagreement with the county inspector. Based on our measurements we thought 4 flood vents were required and the inspectors said 9 were required. After some back and forth they said we were ok with 5 and that is the number we installed.
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Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Boy I sure do hope you don't have that flooding happen again. That would truly **** after all of the sweat equity you poured into that place.
BoilermakerFan
Well-known member
Man, that *****. A Honda CB500T is on my future list! I have a CB500T tank already... I love parallel twins. And I'll be sending you a DM...
TODAY! Deck Prep
We bought the house in April of 2015 and rented it out that summer. Demolition started in the fall of 2015 and we’ve been at it in fits and starts since then. There have been many reasons for the delays but right now our goal is to have it ready for by June 1, 2018.
Most of the pictures I’ve posted are in chronological order to try and tell the story of this renovation. I’ve still got some areas where I want to explain and post pictures of our rehab. However, this morning I was sent these pictures and I wanted to post them.
My contractor has finished prep work for the installation of the fiberglass decking. These pictures show clean decks and posts and railings and just presented so well I had to share them.
The fiberglass contractors started at 11:00 this morning and hopes to finish Saturday. I’ll post other pictures of the prep process and the finished product but in the meantime I’m enjoying this set of photos.
We bought the house in April of 2015 and rented it out that summer. Demolition started in the fall of 2015 and we’ve been at it in fits and starts since then. There have been many reasons for the delays but right now our goal is to have it ready for by June 1, 2018.
Most of the pictures I’ve posted are in chronological order to try and tell the story of this renovation. I’ve still got some areas where I want to explain and post pictures of our rehab. However, this morning I was sent these pictures and I wanted to post them.
My contractor has finished prep work for the installation of the fiberglass decking. These pictures show clean decks and posts and railings and just presented so well I had to share them.
The fiberglass contractors started at 11:00 this morning and hopes to finish Saturday. I’ll post other pictures of the prep process and the finished product but in the meantime I’m enjoying this set of photos.
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Boy I sure do hope you don't have that flooding happen again. That would truly **** after all of the sweat equity you poured into that place.
When I was a child my family home was destroyed by a tornado and so I now consider myself impervious to tornados (what are odds this happens to any one person twice?)
I think I will do same for floods (but trying to hedge with good building just in case).
Thanks for following.
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BoilermakerFan
Well-known member
My wife has told me time and again the motorcycles were the best trade I have ever made in our 21 years of marriage. She loves them. She loves the CX500 so much she won't let me sell it or trade it unless I can get $10K or more for it.
I was planning to trade the CX500 towards a used Goldwing F6B or sell it outright to fund the KZ750 Twin powered board tracker build. There is a brand new, never titled - still in dealer inventory, 2013 red Goldwing F6B at an Illinois dealer for under $13K! With the new 2018 Goldwing and Goldwing F6B on deck, the price of the '13 will drop even more, but I don't know how low this dealer will go. At some point it just becomes dead inventory so I'm not sure how they write that off and when I can come in with my CX500 as a trade-in to get it for $7K on a 48mo loan.
I'm interested to see how they do the fiberglass deck. Is it done like a sailboat deck where there is some sand in the gelcoat to make it non-slip?
RickP
Well-known member
Nice looking deck!
I've been following along with your renovation adventures because I really like seeing the house design details - so unique for this area. And now I'm surprised to hear you're installing fiberglass on the deck, because it seems like that's pretty rare here. We have glass on our decks also, so I'll be very interested in seeing how your installation goes. Do you have finished space under the deck?
RickP,
For the most part the decks are not over living spaces. However, due to some odd cutouts of the basic square shapes (octagon room on 3rd floor) they are.
We struggled to determine the best way to handle the water. The original system failed in a way that caused a lot of damage. They had a metal membrane that sloped away from the house. They used sleepers to then install a wooden deck. The water was to run out from a space about an inch and half opening at the end of the deck. However, the flashing around 4x4 posts failed and water ruined post and beams.
We struggled to find a better system and a few different roofers suggested a rubber membrane. We were going to install this system but then the contractor blew us off.
We called another roofer and he suggested fiberglass. This system was about 30% more expensive but I think will be worth the extra cost. You are right about not being common for Eastern Shore - our guy is from the Jersey shore where this system is being used more and more.
We love Anapolis!
Brian R
For the most part the decks are not over living spaces. However, due to some odd cutouts of the basic square shapes (octagon room on 3rd floor) they are.
We struggled to determine the best way to handle the water. The original system failed in a way that caused a lot of damage. They had a metal membrane that sloped away from the house. They used sleepers to then install a wooden deck. The water was to run out from a space about an inch and half opening at the end of the deck. However, the flashing around 4x4 posts failed and water ruined post and beams.
We struggled to find a better system and a few different roofers suggested a rubber membrane. We were going to install this system but then the contractor blew us off.
We called another roofer and he suggested fiberglass. This system was about 30% more expensive but I think will be worth the extra cost. You are right about not being common for Eastern Shore - our guy is from the Jersey shore where this system is being used more and more.
We love Anapolis!
Brian R
RickP
Well-known member
Good call on using a contractor from NJ -- I've seen photos/videos of their glass work and it looks like they really know what they're doing. Our local contractor, on the other hand...
Thanks for the PDF of the deck layout -- the shape of the octagon area was confusing me from the photos. Are you covering both the 2nd and 3rd floor decks with glass? Our house has a similar deck-over-screen-porch setup, with a very small corner of the deck area over interior heated space.
If you have any photos, I'd be interested in seeing how they do the flashing around the posts -- cracking at the corners has been a huge problem for me. Are you wrapping the posts in trim later? That's one thing that really helped our post flashing stay waterproof (and hidden).
Thanks!
RickP
Well-known member
I think that photo of the waterfront in the background says it all -- your repairs will be SO worth it when they're finished and you can relax and enjoy the house for many years to come. And that hammock looks pretty nice too!
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My contractor was amazed at how strong it is. He was down there before fiberglass was completely finished and the installer pulled out a hammer and started pounding on it. My contractor was like, whoa, no and the installer laughed - it is tough stuff.
As for posts we have been warned by the installer that this is a problem. Our plan is to use 1x cedar to build box at base about 4 inches tall and 45 degree angle at top with 1/8 inch slot for holding caulk. Has not been done yet and will post pictures when that part is complete but for now here is what we have so far:
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RickP
Well-known member
The glass around the posts looks good. The flashing above them is the tough part - getting caulk to last for years and being able to see if it starts to leak. I don't want to derail your thread too much, so I'll send you a PM with a couple photos of my post base flashing.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving,
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving,
RickP
Well-known member
Hey Brian,
Here's what worked for me:
- download photo from GJ album to hard drive
- open it in Windows Photo Viewer
- if the photo is sideways, right-click and rotate it
- close photo (if you want to check it, open the file again)
- delete original photo from GJ album
- upload rotated photo from hard drive
- update links in posts with the new photo address
It's a bit of a pain, and there's prolly an easier solution...
But since I'm not sure what caused the problem, I can't figure out a better way to fix it.
920kip
Well-known member
I started watching this project at the beginning and then lost track. It was great seeing all the work you've put into the house.
Kip
Kip
Decks and Siding
We definitely got ahead of ourselves when we installed the siding before we figured out what to do with decks.
Figuring out that the fiberglass solution was the best one took lots of research, time, and contacting more ‘experts’ on flat roofs and decks than I can remember. I’d say overall only 1/3 called back and then only ½ showed up to look at the property even after we made specific plans to meet.
Anyway, we needed to remove the siding for about 6 inches off the deck in order for the fiberglass mat to be installed on the walls attached to the deck. One part that made this easier is that we did not install trim nor did we secure siding at bottom since we knew we were probably going to install some sort of flashing as part of deck covering.
So we removed 6 inches of siding and installed a wedge at base of wall in prep for fiberglass. The fiberglass was then lapped over the wedge and laid on to wall.
We then reinstalled the siding that was removed and then looked at different options to use trim to cover the seam. We decided to install a 6-inch white trim board at bottom (instead of 2 inch pieced that would just cover seam - see example in pic) to tie this all together.
It's amazing to me how much the trim detail adds to the overall look of the house and how much closer it looks to being finished.
We definitely got ahead of ourselves when we installed the siding before we figured out what to do with decks.
Figuring out that the fiberglass solution was the best one took lots of research, time, and contacting more ‘experts’ on flat roofs and decks than I can remember. I’d say overall only 1/3 called back and then only ½ showed up to look at the property even after we made specific plans to meet.
Anyway, we needed to remove the siding for about 6 inches off the deck in order for the fiberglass mat to be installed on the walls attached to the deck. One part that made this easier is that we did not install trim nor did we secure siding at bottom since we knew we were probably going to install some sort of flashing as part of deck covering.
So we removed 6 inches of siding and installed a wedge at base of wall in prep for fiberglass. The fiberglass was then lapped over the wedge and laid on to wall.
We then reinstalled the siding that was removed and then looked at different options to use trim to cover the seam. We decided to install a 6-inch white trim board at bottom (instead of 2 inch pieced that would just cover seam - see example in pic) to tie this all together.
It's amazing to me how much the trim detail adds to the overall look of the house and how much closer it looks to being finished.
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RickP
Well-known member
That's just about exactly what I went through as well. Fiberglass decks are definitely not the norm around here.
Your decks are starting to look really good. I'll bet you can't wait for next spring so you can spend some time enjoying all the house improvements!
Third Floor Doors
The outdoor areas of this house were a big selling point The water side of the house features a covered patio (ground level), a screened-in porch (2nd floor) and a deck (3rd floor). I’m certain that we will spend a majority of our time in these areas and look forward to using them.
The other side of the house has outdoor areas that will be used less but useful nonetheless. The two areas are both based on 4x12 bump-outs on the second and third floors. The second floor is a screened in area that has two sets of sliding glass doors that open to a screened-in area. The main purpose of this area is that when one opens the sliding doors they are opposite of the screened-in porch therefore lets breezes blow through the entire second floor.
The third-floor deck has limited use. It wraps around the master bedroom (outside picture) but it is only 4 feet wide and does not look over the water (see view with bedroom wall removed). It is also odd in that the bedroom provides the only access and they feature two doors that exit to this area! I suppose that if I smoked would be a great place to hang (maybe I take up smoking?). I wanted to remove one door to create more wall space but my wife would have none of that. So two doors we will have and here is a summary of tear down and build back up of this area.
A few notes:
1. The house included a safety ladder which we retained. Since there is only one staircase if it is blocked by fire the second regress would be door to deck to ground with emergency ladder.
2. The original doors included jalousie windows. I believe that these should not be used in any house north of Florida. The replacements doors don’t have jalousie windows (see picture during demo) but do have full length glass in order to act as windows.
I’m really happy to have these doors installed. The areas have been covered with nailed up pieces of plywood that let all sorts of creatures and even birds in. Nice to show up in a house without wasps, bees, bugs and birds flying through it.
The outdoor areas of this house were a big selling point The water side of the house features a covered patio (ground level), a screened-in porch (2nd floor) and a deck (3rd floor). I’m certain that we will spend a majority of our time in these areas and look forward to using them.
The other side of the house has outdoor areas that will be used less but useful nonetheless. The two areas are both based on 4x12 bump-outs on the second and third floors. The second floor is a screened in area that has two sets of sliding glass doors that open to a screened-in area. The main purpose of this area is that when one opens the sliding doors they are opposite of the screened-in porch therefore lets breezes blow through the entire second floor.
The third-floor deck has limited use. It wraps around the master bedroom (outside picture) but it is only 4 feet wide and does not look over the water (see view with bedroom wall removed). It is also odd in that the bedroom provides the only access and they feature two doors that exit to this area! I suppose that if I smoked would be a great place to hang (maybe I take up smoking?). I wanted to remove one door to create more wall space but my wife would have none of that. So two doors we will have and here is a summary of tear down and build back up of this area.
A few notes:
1. The house included a safety ladder which we retained. Since there is only one staircase if it is blocked by fire the second regress would be door to deck to ground with emergency ladder.
2. The original doors included jalousie windows. I believe that these should not be used in any house north of Florida. The replacements doors don’t have jalousie windows (see picture during demo) but do have full length glass in order to act as windows.
I’m really happy to have these doors installed. The areas have been covered with nailed up pieces of plywood that let all sorts of creatures and even birds in. Nice to show up in a house without wasps, bees, bugs and birds flying through it.
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RickP
Well-known member
Wow, that looks like a ton of work! It really highlights the scope when you show the demolition photos.
I'm curious -- why the choice of conduit in the roughed-in walls? Maybe some future exterior lights?
Permits and Inspection
When I decided to purchase this house in the Spring of 2015 I tried to come up with a reasonable budget for what it would cost to renovate it. Shortly thereafter I applied for building permit to begin work and pretty much used this estimate in the paperwork. Part of the fees that are collected are based on estimated work and I got the distinct impression from the county Chief Enforcement Officer that some people try and underestimate this number on the application. He seemed pleased that we weren’t trying underestimate the project and were upfront on what we wanted to do with the place
The county has been very helpful which has been important since this is the first renovation where I’ve been a part of where I’ve pulled the permits and have needed to read regulations, etc. We’ve been slow in making progress so the only inspection so far was to conduct a progress inspection. Until last month when we called in for rough-in inspections for framing/plumbing/electric. And we passed! Well at least only minor corrections needed stud plates and some re-work of smoke alarms.
With that inspection done we were able to call in insulation company. That started early this morning so I hope to provide updates for that soon.
Oh - and Happy New Year, GJ!
When I decided to purchase this house in the Spring of 2015 I tried to come up with a reasonable budget for what it would cost to renovate it. Shortly thereafter I applied for building permit to begin work and pretty much used this estimate in the paperwork. Part of the fees that are collected are based on estimated work and I got the distinct impression from the county Chief Enforcement Officer that some people try and underestimate this number on the application. He seemed pleased that we weren’t trying underestimate the project and were upfront on what we wanted to do with the place
The county has been very helpful which has been important since this is the first renovation where I’ve been a part of where I’ve pulled the permits and have needed to read regulations, etc. We’ve been slow in making progress so the only inspection so far was to conduct a progress inspection. Until last month when we called in for rough-in inspections for framing/plumbing/electric. And we passed! Well at least only minor corrections needed stud plates and some re-work of smoke alarms.
With that inspection done we were able to call in insulation company. That started early this morning so I hope to provide updates for that soon.
Oh - and Happy New Year, GJ!
Deezler
Well-known member
Insulating! A big milestone, congrats.
I dunno, I might spend a lot of time on that 3rd floor deck, the woods views are lovely and depending on time of day and weather, could be nice to escape.
I dunno, I might spend a lot of time on that 3rd floor deck, the woods views are lovely and depending on time of day and weather, could be nice to escape.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Toolfool
Well-known member
I might be the last GJ member to find your thread, but I'm impressed . Subscribed from here on.
Very cool house! Interesting meshing of older construction methods with "modern" design. I have a 60's modern house (built 1960) that we're slowly revamping as well. Some of the stuff they did back then made sense. Some of it didn't. Materials for construction didn't have the longevity for some of the design aspects that were dreamed back then.
I notice you have a flat roof.... is it tar/gravel or has it been updated? Ours had a tar and gravel (2nd iteration that was installed in the early mid 80's) that we had torn off and replaced with a modern TPO setup instead. The tear off/removal costs were insane because of the cost of disposal of that tar/gravel mix.
I notice you have a flat roof.... is it tar/gravel or has it been updated? Ours had a tar and gravel (2nd iteration that was installed in the early mid 80's) that we had torn off and replaced with a modern TPO setup instead. The tear off/removal costs were insane because of the cost of disposal of that tar/gravel mix.